Innovative Projects Realized

ADAJ- Justice sans papier

Le retard de la justice en matière d’intégration des outils numériques constitue un des constats les plus souvent rappelés du monde judiciaire. Ce retard est notamment perceptible au niveau du Tribunal des professions et des conseils de discipline des différents ordres professionnels québécois. Afin de corriger ce retard, le Projet vise à favoriser le passage au numérique de différentes juridictions oeuvrant dans le champ du droit professionnel – du dépôt des plaintes jusqu’à la publication des décisions disciplinaires, en passant par la transmission de la preuve.

Using mathematical methods to set payout profiles and develop viralmarketing models for lottery games.

The purpose of the project is to provide the partner with a detailed understanding of a strategy to set

payout profiles within a model where the expected payout of the game is tied to the level of skill

reached in the game. Additionally, the project will create a strategy for viral marketing of the product

through the application of cutting edge research. The project will outline detailed descriptions of

solutions to identified challenges. The research results will benefit the partner organization in efforts to

develop an industry-unique product and prepare the company to commercialize the concept.

Assessing the effectiveness of plain packaging in reducing smoking rates: A mixed method approach – Year two

Tobacco is the number one cause of lung disease and death in Canada, and Nova Scotia in particular. For this reason, tobacco control is the number one priority for the Lung Association of Nova Scotia. To maximize the impact of its initiatives, the Lung Association of Nova Scotia is interested in collaborating with the post-doctoral fellow through the Elevate fellowship.
The engagement of the Lung Association of Nova Scotia with the proposed plain packaging project means that they are supporting local and innovative research. They are also enhancing their advocacy for plain packaging by potentially using the results of the proposed project to validate their initiatives. Plain packaging is an emerging topic with great attention from the media. Increased media coverage has historically been associated with higher website visits and financial well-being for the Lung Association. By capitalizing on the academic resources of the post-doctoral fellow and his supervisor, Dr. Stewart, the Lung Association will support a project that is meaningful to their mandate. Working with the post-doctoral fellow, the staff at the Lung Association will actively engage in report preparation, workshop planning, and media components of the project. Project deliverables can then be used in their advocacy and research mandates.

Assessing the effectiveness of plain packaging in reducing smoking rates: A mixed method approach

Plain packaging refers to standardizing cigarette pack font/color, and removing logos. This form of packaging lowers intention to smoke. However, there is a dearth of research on the direct effects of plain packaging on actual smoking behaviour and the mediation of those effects through increased attention to graphic warnings. The proposed project addresses these two gaps. First, smokers will wear eye-tracking glasses in a lab to determine if plain (vs. branded) packaging increases attention to warnings. Second, smoking behaviour for the same smokers will be examined in a lab when they smoke cigarettes from plain (vs. branded) packages. Finally, smokers will receive graphic warning stickers, in a randomly assigned plain or branded format, to attach to each of their purchased packs for two weeks. Smokers will also be provided with smart watches to measure their smoking behaviour. TO BE CONT’D

Effective knowledge translation of evidence-based best practice for healthy lifestyle behaviours – Year two

The research supports the effective knowledge translation of evidence-based best practice information related to healthy lifestyle behaviours. Over a two-year period, the post-doctoral fellow will create a series of knowledge translation tools that can be used in the effective primary and secondary prevention of chronic disease through lifestyle behaviour modification. Our proposed initiative will capitalize on the best of the existing models of health promotion. We believe that the proposed development of knowledge translation tools has the potential to affect positively the health and wellbeing of thousands of Canadians. It is anticipated that through this initiative we will be able to improve the dissemination of information regarding the most effective primary and secondary preventative strategies for prominent medical conditions and obesity a key priority of the Health and Fitness Society of BC.

Effective knowledge translation of evidence-based best practice for healthy lifestyle behaviours

The proposed research will support the effective knowledge translation of evidence-based best practice information related to healthy lifestyle behaviours (such as physical activity, healthy eating, smoking cessation, stress management, and alcohol moderation). Over a two-year period, the post-doctoral fellow will create a series of knowledge translation tools (including web- and smartphone-based applications) that can be used in the effective primary and secondary prevention of chronic disease through lifestyle behaviour modification. Our proposed initiative will capitalize on the best of the existing models of health promotion. We believe that the proposed development of knowledge translation tools has the potential to affect positively the health and well-being of thousands of Canadians. TO BE CONT’D

The anti-Helicobacter pylori properties of probiotic lactobacilli secretomes

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that causes 65% of gastric ulcers and cancers worldwide. Current snit- H. pylori treatments often fail because the bacteria have become resistant and they have serious side effects. We are looking into using molecules produced by bacteria called lactobacilli that are a natural component of the human gastro-intestinal flora to treat and/or prevent Helicobacter infections. The novelty of our approach is to focus on the molecules that Lactobacilli release (i.e. their secretions) and that could be administered to patients in a controlled and reliable manner. Using the released molecules also facilitates determining the mechanism of action. We propose to compare the secretions produced by 24 Lactobacilli for their anti-H. pylori effects, determine their mechanisms of action and identify the nature of the active molecules. This will allow the development of effective formulations that could be used to treat patients or prevent infections.

Cumulative Environmental Effects from Unconventional Oil and Gas Activity in the Liard River Watershed: Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Freshwater Extraction, and Risk of Cross-Contamination

The Liard River Watershed covers 275 000 square kilometres in Northeastern British Columbia. This vast area is increasingly being developed for its underlying shale gas resources using hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”). However, there are few studies investigating the environmental impacts of such activity in this vast area. Fossil fuels and freshwater are two of Canada’s most important natural resources, and therefore an understanding of the water-energy nexus is paramount. This study will investigate effects of oil and gas activity on water resources in the Liard River Watershed it terms of both quantity and quality. These results will be incorporated into a larger report on the cumulative impacts of human activity within the Liard River Watershed that the partner organization is compiling for one of its clients. A GIS interface will be developed in order to facilitate research goals and to provide a platform for future consultation projects.

Methodological Advance of Energy-Economy Climate Policy Models

The overall objective for this project is to support the research of two master’s students who would help advance the methods for modelling energy-climate policies, a field in which EMRG in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at SFU is one of the leading research units in the country and in which Navius Research Incorporated is the leading Canadian consulting firm, providing support to governments and other stakeholders in the development and assessment of energy and climate policy. One sub-project focuses on improving the integration of micro-economic analysis (choices of technologies by firms and households) with macro-economic analysis (assessing effects on economic growth, structural change, regional impacts and government finances). The other sub-project focuses on improving the integration of micro-economic analysis on technology and building choices with urban form and infrastructure policies related to buildings neighborhoods (density, nodes, land-uses), energy infrastructure (district heat) and mobility infrastructure (transit, bike lanes).

Feasibility study of ultrasonic guided wave inspection of fuel cell plate welds

Mercedes-Benz Fuel Cell is a division of Mercedes-Benz Canada and is responsible for Daimler’s global production of fuel cell stacks. Fuel cell stacks are currently seen as a prominent alternative to internal combustion engine in road cars. In the current design the fuel cell stack is assembled using a few hundred individual fuel cell plates. An individual fuel cell plate is made of two thin steel plates laser welded together. The laser welding process is used to hold the two steel plates together and more importantly to seal the network of water, air and hydrogen travelling inside the fuel cell plate. It is paramount that the water does not leak in the channels where air or hydrogen is travelling. Mercedes-Benz Fuel Cell is currently unable to inspect the welds in a nondestructive manner.

Multi-Perspective Text Analysis of Social Knowledge Networks

Knowledge workers (i.e., researchers, business consultants and analysts, research-program managers) produce documents (research publications, analysis reports, opinion pieces, calls-for-proposals, and blog posts) through which they express their knowledge and opinions. They also read and review similar documents, produced by individuals and organizations in their domain of interest and expertise, to keep current with their domain. By analyzing these documents, the information they contain and the sentiment they convey, their cross-references to each other, and the network of co-production and consumption relationships they imply, we can gain deep insights on the continuous information flow through networks of experts as they consume, evaluate, assess, and produce knowledge.

A Novel Combination Therapy to Target Primitive Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells – Year two

Modern molecular targeted therapies have shown promise in treating some blood cancers, but a cure remains elusive for most acute leukemia patients. This is largely due to the survival of some leukemic cells that possess unique properties and can cause treatment failure or relapse, warranting identification of new, distinct targets for improved therapies. In collaboration with Signalchem Lifescience Corporation (SLC), we aim to develop and test a new drug combination strategy to target acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patient cells that are resistant to current therapies. This pre-clinical study will evaluate the efficacy of novel inhibitors (developed by SLC), alone or in combination with available chemotherapeutics, to target primitive AML cells and their survival pathways in vitro and in vivo. We expect that this new combination will be more effective in eliminating critical leukemic patient cells compared to traditional single drugs, and provide directly proof-of-concept for a subsequent clinical trial.